June 15, 2010

Investigation: City paid for worker's prison time

Prompted by findings that a city worker collected a paycheck while sitting in prison, Chicago’s inspector general is urging Mayor Richard Daley to require workers to disclose any criminal arrests and convictions.

Inspector General Joseph Ferguson’s recommendation follows a recently completed investigation into how a laborer in the city’s then-bureau of electricity continued to receive a paycheck and medical coverage for two months while he was incarcerated in Stateville Correctional Center, according to sources familiar with the report.

Ferguson is recommending the city fire longtime laborer John LaGiglio, who was in the state prison from April 1 to June 2, 2005, after pleading guilty to aggravated driving under the influence, a felony. LaGiglio makes $35.20 an hour as a laborer.

LaGiglio’s case is not unique, according to sources. The inspector general has investigated a handful of other cases in which city employees’ legal troubles were concealed through alleged time-keeping fraud.

LaGiglio, who has worked for the city since 1997, said he did nothing improper. He referred further questions to his lawyer, Marvin Gittler.

Gittler said he was unaware of the inspector general’s findings and added that LaGiglio was a good employee who violated no policies. “Maybe the inspector general has nothing more to do than to hassle hard-working people for something that happened years ago,” he said.

The investigation, which began with a tip in 2007, was completed in May, and the findings were forwarded to the Daley administration.

During the 44 city work days LaGiglio was imprisoned, the inspector general found he was improperly marked down for 27 sick days with no pay and given 17 days of pay for personal days and vacation time, sources said. The inspector general found that meant about $4,000 in wages to LaGiglio and medical coverage worth at least $1,500, according to the sources.

LaGiglio should not have been paid, and he should have paid from his own pocket to maintain medical coverage for his family, sources said.

Ferguson recommended that the mayor require that workers reveal within 24 hours their arrest or conviction, and that they report all significant developments in their criminal cases to their bosses and to the personnel department. Ferguson further recommended that an employee be suspended if their arrest interferes with their ability to work.

Melissa Stratton, spokeswoman for the Law Department, said the city was reviewing Ferguson’s recommendations calling for policy changes.

Two employees who allegedly falsified LaGiglio’s time records and his supervisor, who allegedly failed to account for his absence, have all since retired.

The former Bureau of Electricity was renamed and moved to the Department of Transportation. Spokesman Brian Steele said the department “will make a recommendation for discipline shortly.”

Give up your "rights"? How about being a law abiding citizen? You give up many rights when you go to prison -- among them should be a paycheck if you are part of the public payroll. The medical coverage is negotiable with me, but why should taxpayers pay a wage to an inmate?

Being a Gov. employee has it's perks. It is know as vacation leave and sick leave. Apparently his contract also included days off with pay. The City can not pick and chose how an employee uses that time.

Course he does make $15/hour more than I do as a scientist. I do wish I got his paycheck for leaning on a shovel, instead of doing QC/QA testing!

Didn't know that working for the city required one to give up their rights.

does the Inspector also want to know if employees have overdue library books ? how about if they are cheating on their spouses ? or if they give their child a spanking ? or even worse, if they tear the tag off of those pillows that say its illegal to do so ? or maybe download a song from a website ?

city workers are not above the law, but the inspector would also have under the law with intrusions into their private lives. these are not politicians mind you, but just some schmoes and the inspector wants to what they are doing when they are on AND off the clock ?

sounds like this IG is just as much as a media hore as his predecessor was.

$35.20 as a laborer for the City!!!!!!!!!!!!! And we wonder why the City can't balance the budget! Good God this city has the dumbest people in the world running it....into the ground! Perhaps some educated people in the city council would be appropriate.

How much did it cost the taxpayers to uncover about $5,500 of no-no money? Meanwhile millions are lost in large chunks in TIFs, "slush" funds, no bid contracts, and the all too common "borrowing"of pension funds. C'mon IG, angle for the big fish.

The Democrat Party in Illinois is the prison population! They're just not behind bars yet. When people continue to support the Democrat corruption that has been running Chicago and the State of Illinois, they are going to be blessed with paying their hard earned money for taxes to support corruption. Blago shouldn't be alone at the defendant table!

Jerry: He can defend his client because he is a lawyer, and his client deserves the best legal representation that he is capable of providing to him. You could ask a similar question when a doctor treats a convicted child molester; it's his job, and he is required *by law* to do it to the best of his ability.

@Tukas, You don't see any difference between being in the hospital or in prison? There's a huge difference. Everyone involved should now be out of a job. There are thousands of honest people that would be more than happy to play by the rules when earning over $35. an hour. No wonder Chicago is broke. How many laborers does Chicago employ? I bet there are plenty of people in Chicago that would do that same work for a lot less money. It seems strange that you can't see anything wrong with this. Any chance you are one of the people that covered up for the jail bird?

Seems to me that the personnel who allowed him to take sick and vacation time (against policy) should be the ones in trouble. If the employee requests to use that time and it is granted it is not the employee's fault.

All 50 aldermen on the Chicago City Council had to file paperwork earlier this year detailing their outside income and gifts. The Tribune took that ethics paperwork and posted the information here for you to see. You can search by ward number or alderman's last name.

The Cook County Assessor's office has put together lists of projected median property tax bills for all suburban towns and city neighborhoods. We've posted them for you to get a look at who's paying more and who's paying less.

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